Ranking Marvel Studios' 10 Highest-Grossing Movies Following DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE's Record-Breaking Success

Ranking Marvel Studios' 10 Highest-Grossing Movies Following DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE's Record-Breaking Success

Marvel Studios has produced plenty of record-breaking box office hits over the years, but when you compare their 10 highest-grossing releases, which of them should be considered the best? Check it out...

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Sep 16, 2024 12:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Since Iron Man was released in 2008, Marvel Studios has produced hit after hit at the worldwide box office, creating a $30 billion franchise in the process.

Up until Avatar was unexpectedly re-released during the pandemic, Avengers: Endgame was the highest-grossing movie ever released in theaters, and despite a few misses during the Multiverse Saga (The Marvels, for example), the MCU remains a force to be reckoned with in multiplexes across the globe.

Following Deadpool & Wolverine's jaw-dropping performance, we've rounded up the ten highest-grossing MCU movies of all time and ranked them from worst - even though there's not a bad movie to be found here - to best. This is just one opinion, of course, and we're sure you'll have your own takes that we'd love to hear in the comments section below.

In the meantime, you can take a look through this ranking by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" button below.
 

10. Avengers: Age Of Ultron ($1,405,403,694 - #5)

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Avengers: Age of Ultron was a much more ambitious movie than its predecessor, but was it better? James Spader knocked it out of the park as Ultron (even if the villain was a little too snarky), while it managed to squeeze a lot into a pretty reasonable runtime.

That included the introductions of characters like the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and The Vision, two of whom have been a crucial part of the MCU since. 

The sequel was a tad directionless in places (just look at Thor's weird story arc), but there was plenty of fun to be had here. It also gave us its fair share of iconic moments in this shared world, including Captain America - nearly - lifting Mjolnir, the Hulkbuster battling The Hulk, and some killer shots of the team assembled. 

Joss Whedon delivered a strong follow-up here, even if there was some room for improvement. 
 

9. Iron Man 3 ($1,214,811,252 - #8)

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The first of Marvel Studios' solo movies to gross over $1 billion, Iron Man 3 may not be fondly remembered by a lot of fans, but it was still a hit for the then still expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Shane Black was the right director to build on the comedic tone set by The Avengers, while still exploring what it means for Tony Stark to be Iron Man in the wake of Loki's attack on New York City. Iron Patriot felt a little shoehorned in, and there's no getting around the fact that Rebecca Hall was wasted as Maya Hansen. 

Of course, the biggest disappointment for the majority was that big Mandarin reveal. 

Iron Man 3 is still a pretty great movie overall, though, and one which we'd argue has received way too much hate since it first arrived in theaters over a decade ago. Seriously, give it a second chance!
 

8. Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1,131,927,996 - #10)

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The first Spider-Man movie to gross over $1 billion, Spider-Man: No Way Home once again did something new with the web-slinger, taking him out of New York City on an adventure that saw him teaming up with Mysterio across Europe. 

The big reveal that Quentin Beck was, in fact, a villain wasn't hard to see coming and there's part of us which watched this and still longed to see the web-slinger swinging through the Big Apple's skyscrapers rather than Venice and London. 

Still, that illusion scene remains one of the best sequences ever seen in the MCU and the mid-credits scene with J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson...well, it was a jaw-dropper and nothing we saw coming. Director Jon Watts proved himself a perfect fit for Spidey with this movie (though we were pretty confident that was the case after Homecoming). 

This was a classic Spider-Man movie and definitely one of the better Marvel Studios movies to date. 
 

7. The Avengers ($1,518,812,988 - #4)

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The Avengers may seem relatively small in scale compared to today's superhero movies, but at the time...well, this was the first time these characters ever assembled on screen.

That alone means it holds a very special place in our hearts, and while mistakes were made (Captain America's costume has to be somewhere near the top of the list), those are easy enough to forgive. Even after seeing pretty much every MCU hero there teaming up in Avengers: Endgame, it's still hard not to get chills when the heroes come together here. 

Throw in that Hulk redesign, the Jade Giant's battle with Thor, and Tom Hiddleston knocking it out of the park as Loki, and there's no way this shouldn't be considered a classic.

Unfortunately, several years on, it just feels a tad underwhelming in comparison to what we're now used to watching. 
 

6. Deadpool & Wolverine ($1,267,643,094 - #7)

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Deadpool & Wolverine's box office run isn't over yet, but it's already demolished every record set by 2019's Joker to become the highest-grossing R-Rated movie ever released. 

Pushing Captain Marvel out of the top ten with its placement here, what filmmaker Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman achieved with this threequel is hard to put into words. Rather than being the final nail in the Fox-verse's coffin, it rejuvenated and, in some ways, redeemed what was a very hit-and-miss era of storytelling. 

Crucially, the highly anticipated team-up between Wade Wilson and Logan delivered in every respect and proved to be worth the wait. Reynolds and Jackman had a blast on screen together and Levy delivered his best work yet as a director. 

Deadpool & Wolverine is deserving of its place on this list both in terms of box office and how damn good a movie it was. 
 

5. Captain America: Civil War ($1,153,304,495 - #9)

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While Captain America: Civil War had little in common with the comic book event it borrowed its name from, seeing the Avengers square off on screen was still epic on every single level. 

In some ways, we wish Marvel Studios had held off on making this until they had more heroes to make use of here, but we got a phenomenal new villain in Daniel Bruhl's Zemo, and it was impossible to fault the battles that did play out on screen. The Russo Brothers brought plenty of epic action to the table here and successfully introduced Spider-Man to the MCU.

That was a huge part of this movie and one fans definitely appreciated. Yes, Spidey only had a few minutes of screentime, but we never imagined getting to see him face off with the likes of Captain America, Giant-Man, and Bucky.

This movie is too often overlooked by fans and is, to us, an undeniable classic. 
 

4. Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754 - #2)

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Avengers: Infinity War is a very busy movie, but the Russo Brothers somehow made it work (despite the fact it was just setting up a much bigger sorry in the sequel). 

While it split Earth's Mightiest Heroes up across the MCU, that meant getting to see some unexpected character interactions like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange hanging out with Guardians of the Galaxy. There's just so much to love about this movie, with Black Panther leading the charge in Wakanda serving as an undeniable highlight.

Josh Brolin, meanwhile, delivered one of this franchise's best villains to date with Thanos, an incredible VFX creation who was in many ways more fun to follow than the Avengers themselves. 

Of course, it's that jaw-dropping ending we'll never forget. Killing off half the characters we love was a ballsy move on Marvel's part, but one that worked perfectly.
 

3. Black Panther ($1,346,913,171 - #6)

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This was a masterpiece, and the first Marvel Studios movie to be nominated for "Best Picture" at the Oscars. 

Honestly, Black Panther should have won, and the late, great Chadwick Boseman put himself on the map with an incredible take on T'Challa that resonated with people in a way that's seen the actor achieve "icon" status. "Wakanda Forever" became more than just a catchphrase, and both the actor and character inspired people of all races across the globe. 

This was a special movie, and one that director Ryan Coogler ensured left a lasting impact. Michael B. Jordan was every bit as good as Boseman, and the visuals here were breathtaking. 

It feels wrong not to put this at the top of our ranking, but the next two movies made just as big an impact, albeit in very different ways. 
 

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,926,899,310 - #3)

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Spider-Man: No Way Home had a highly secretive marketing campaign that built excitement to a point where everyone was desperate to see whether Tom Holland's web-slinger would share the screen with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Just the return of those familiar villains alone was exciting, though, so it's no wonder this movie broke box office records. 

When the epic final chapter in Jon Watts' Spider-Man trilogy did swing into theaters, it proved to be an emotional rollercoaster and a spectacular team-up fans could have only dreamed they would one day see in the MCU. 

Generating serious Oscar buzz, this fan-pleasing hit may have saved the big screen experience, and delivered the sort of moments that had fans standing up and cheering in multiplexes. It was a special ride and one which it will be tough to replicate in the upcoming Spider-Man 4.

We nearly put this at #1, but our next entry just managed to pip it to the top spot. 
 

1. Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564 - #1)

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Marvel Studios' highest-grossing movie is also its best. 

Avengers: Endgame told a story on a scale unlike anything else we've ever seen on the big screen, taking us on a trip through time and boldly killing off some beloved characters in the process. Simply put, there are too many highlights to mention, though the "Portals" scene has become nothing short of iconic.

In this movie, we also bid farewell to Iron Man in one of the MCU's most emotional scenes, while seeing Captain America fight his past self...well, it was awesome. That final battle, in particular, was packed full of unforgettable moments, and as a conclusion to the "Infinity Saga," Marvel Studios really couldn't have delivered a better ending than this. 

It's going to take a lot to top this in terms of fan-service, pure storytelling quality, and box office, so all eyes will now be on Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
 

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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/16/2024, 12:06 PM
Why do you exclude Quantunmania? ..stop racism now
marvel72
marvel72 - 9/16/2024, 12:17 PM
@Malatrova15 - Because it didn't do a billion, I don't think it even did $400 Million.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/16/2024, 12:46 PM
@marvel72 - ooh so money is more importan than being an amazing movie and the entry point for the new avenger level threat?
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 9/16/2024, 12:56 PM
@marvel72 - $476MM worldwide box office. It's like 3.6 Roentgen ...
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TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/16/2024, 12:15 PM
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Anyway , cool list though I don’t really have one since there’s just too many MCU movies now to rank (especially if you enjoy almost all of them to varying degrees)…

I will say that while FFH was the weakest of Watts’s trilogy , it still has enjoyable stuff to it overall such as Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio.
EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 12:15 PM
I shit you not that I am so used to Josh's crap lists that I correctly predicted the order he'd have them in. Classic Josh...
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/16/2024, 12:23 PM
@EZBeast - User Comment Image

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I CHALLENGE EVERY JOSH WILDING NAYSAYER ON CBM!!!

THIS CLIMATE OF COMIC BOOK MOVIE MEDIA IS BEYOND DROUGHT. THAT BEING SAID...

I WANT YOU TO GIVE 10 TITLES FOR ARTICLES, THAT ARE VASTLY MORE INTERESTING THAN THE WILDINGS.



I'M WAITING....



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EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 12:44 PM
@KennKathleen -
-10 underrated comic book films and why they stand the test of time
-10 unknown comic characters who deserve their own series or film based off their comic
-top 10 scariest comic characters to read about for Halloween
-10 reasons comics no longer resonate with readers and what can be done to change that.
-10 deadpool story lines that could be adapted for the big screen after d&w
-10 marvel stories lines that are ideal for moving away from multiverse.
-5 ways the new dcu could succeed where the old one failed.
-5 reasons comic book films need to adapt to changing audience tastes
-top 10 comic storylines that will stand the test of time
-top 10 reasons comics are still superior to Mangas or vice versa

Those are just from the top of my head and you can adjust them any way I want, I don't give a shit. You don't need a rotten tomato rating to base all your stories off of...
SATW42
SATW42 - 9/16/2024, 1:37 PM
@EZBeast - lmao off. Everyone bashes Josh for lists, someone says "come up with better ideas for articles" and you give a list of list articles.

LMAO
EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 2:04 PM
@SATW42 - lol once again your dumb ass joins a conversation without reading.

"I WANT YOU TO GIVE 10 TITLES FOR ARTICLES, THAT ARE VASTLY MORE INTERESTING THAN THE WILDINGS."

I did just that without trying. You on the other hand added nothing to the comments like you always do. How are your defenses for the acoylte reviews still going? Lmao don't comment on my stuff again you waste of breath.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/16/2024, 2:48 PM
@EZBeast - While you are correct (good job by the way) in your response to me, I do prefer the SATW42's thought process in the matter.

...that being said....


NAME 10 ARTICLES PURRIDT, THAT ARE MORE INTERESTING THAN A WILDING WRITE-UP!!!
SATW42
SATW42 - 9/16/2024, 2:55 PM
@EZBeast - You didn't do just that, your lists were shit. See how easy it is to say that? I didn't even have to try.
EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 3:02 PM
@KennKathleen - tbf I just did the style of Josh to show better ideas. Personally I hate top 10s or rankings but I thought it was a copy you were looking for so my bad.

But honestly you could have so much fun with lists like that or article titles!
EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 3:10 PM
@SATW42 - why are you still talking? I told you not to comment. Go practice holding your breath as long as you can as hopefully someone out there doesn't want you wasting away completely.
EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 3:19 PM
@KennKathleen - how about
-why spiderman is still the most relatable cb hero!
-spooky season is right around the corner celebrate with these scary comics!
-science fiction or action, which one is truly a better setting for a cb story?
-the best cb crossovers in the last decade!
-why venom is still a great character but is wasted in sony films
-why an arkham film without batman could work
-hot takes! Why spiderman batman and superman are still the kings of comics!
-the majority of comic book readers have stopped buying comics, why? What has changed in the industry!
-do you enjoy humor in marvel movies and if so when is it too much?
-the most successful cb video game adoptions of all time and why were still playing them!

Tried a bit of questioning in the title and you could still do the list style or article style.
SATW42
SATW42 - 9/16/2024, 4:10 PM
@EZBeast - zzz
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/16/2024, 5:59 PM
@EZBeast - I actually like these!!!! Hey Nate!!! NAAAAATTTTEEEEE!!!

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KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/16/2024, 6:00 PM
@SATW42 - User Comment Image

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EZBeast
EZBeast - 9/16/2024, 8:13 PM
@KennKathleen - lol thank you. Again, there is so much to have with discussions in geek culture without baiting or relying on rotton tomatoes!
marvel72
marvel72 - 9/16/2024, 12:18 PM
Iron Man 3 was shit and I think Black Panther was good but not great.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/16/2024, 12:47 PM
@marvel72 - it was more Oscar worthy than Rome
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 9/17/2024, 4:27 AM
@marvel72 - I liked Iron Man 3, but didn’t think it was top 10 material. Black Panther was good too, but kind of average imo.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 9/16/2024, 12:18 PM
Thought you were gonna put Captain Marvel in a controversial position but I guess it sits right outside the top ten!

Worst to best:
Iron Man 3
Age of Ultron
Far from Home
The Avengers
Deadpool & Wolverine
No Way Home
Civil War
Infinity War
Endgame
Black Panther <3
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/16/2024, 12:24 PM
@WakandanQueen - I’m a IM3 and AOU defender lol so I would put them above FFH but it’s hard to argue with the others.

Kind of a tough list
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 9/16/2024, 12:25 PM
@WakandanQueen - I would probably reverse the order of your top three (not that much in it however to niggle about the difference IMO but otherwise agreee with the order of the other 7.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 9/16/2024, 12:26 PM
It's crazy how most of the time they need to clear at least 650 million JUST TO TURN A PROFIT
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 9/16/2024, 12:40 PM
Black Panther. Still the most Overrated MCU movie there is. Yes it's really good but imo not even the same class as CapTWS, Cap CW, Avengers, Avenegers Endgame and IW
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 9/16/2024, 6:21 PM
@MotherGooseUPus - Wilding has a hard on for it. He always rates it way too high on these lists. Its middle of the road at best. Very forgettable movie IMO.
dragon316
dragon316 - 9/16/2024, 12:45 PM
Excellent day be Deadpool wolverine fan
AllsGood
AllsGood - 9/16/2024, 12:45 PM
Marvel Studios has produced plenty of record-breaking box office hits over the years.

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TK420
TK420 - 9/16/2024, 12:47 PM
Endgame sucks, dude. We followed these characters through all their adventures just to see half of them killed.
Jackraow21
Jackraow21 - 9/16/2024, 1:08 PM
@TK420 - That was Infinity War. In Endgame they were brought back.
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